The city was always beautiful at night, when the sun sets, it was like it had come to life but that wasn't the only thing that came with the darkness: they were beings lurking in the darkness, waiting, cause once it was night, they could freely roam about.
Not everyone could see them but he could so he felt it was his responsibility to exorcise them, for a price of course.
Hunter looked from his phone to the apartment building in front of him, a well-maintained building, no one would believe a demon lived there but then again, that only makes it the perfect hideout. 'This is the location' he thought to himself.
He pushed the door and it slides open with a loud creak. He walks into the building, welcomed by the chirping sounds of crickets, and the tweeting of birds.
His eyes scan the surrounding, weed were growing almost everywhere. All the apartments' lights were off except for one whose light was flickering. He had doubts before but now he was sure, this is the place.
"Are you the exorcist?" A croaky voice asked from behind catching him by surprise.
He turned to see an elderly woman leaning on a stick staring at him expectantly, "yes," he replied,
"But you're so young," she stated.
"Ma'am, I'm 18."
"That is young," she countered, "I had a son that was 18, the universe took him at 16, the world is a cruel, cruel place."
"Huh?" He said confused, "that doesn't even make sense."
The woman frowned, "This world doesn't make sense," she replied.
"Right," he drawled before looking around the building, "which apartment did you suspect had the ghost?" He asked.
"That one," she pointed to the room with the flickering lights, her voice falling even lower than normal. He nodded before turning the direction, headed for the apartment,
"Be careful son, there is a ghost in that apartment, say your prayers and hope it doesn't come for you," she shouted after him.
"I mean, I'm here to have a conversation with it so I hope it does come for me but thanks for the advice."
The closer he got to the apartment, the more he could feel it, he had in him years of exorcising ghosts and there was nothing that could scare him.
Even before seeing it, Hunter could tell just how much energy it had and he knew, he just need to land three yellow energy punches to cast it away.
The light goes off as he pushes the door wide open then comes back on again as he walks into the apartment. He could feel its presence in the bathroom so that was his destination.
The light flicker and he catches something gliding in the dark with the corner of his eyes, it was fast.
The room goes dark again and he finds himself wondering why he picked the nighttime to do this. Hunter felt a hand on his shoulder and before he could react, the ghost flings him to the other side of the room, sending him crashing into the bathtub.
He felt it race towards him and the light goes on, giving him a good look at his attacker for the first time: a short, huge, neckless, green creature with long limbs and ears. That certainly was no ghost, it was a demon.
The light flickers and stays off but the room is suddenly brightened up by a glowing yellow energy around Hunter's fist. The demon throws itself at him but he moves out of the just in time and hits it with a thunderous punch.
As the demon flies back from the impact, he chases after it and throws another punch, the demon manages to get its head out of the way but the strike catches it on the shoulder, completely detaching it from the body and sending the entire hand flying away elsewhere.
The demon rose again, it threw a sloppy punch at Hunter who easily dodges it, the demon was much slower than before. The light turns on and Hunter hits it with an uppercut, sending it flying to the ground. The demon evaporates into thin air.
"Is it done?" The woman asked as he walks out of the room.
"Yes," he replied with a small smile, "sorry for the mess."
"It's fine, nobody would take this place with a ghost next door but thanks to you, I'm sure this place would finally be lively once again," She stated, "I already sent the money to the account number in the poster, hopefully, I wouldn't be needing your services again."
"Never say never," he waved as he walked out of the building. He took out his phone to call a camp but a black SUV pulls up in front of and a man in a black suit steps out of the car. "Are you the exorcist?" He asked,
"Yes?" Hunter replied, more of a question than a response.
"You're under arrest," the man said as grabbed him, turn him around and cuff his wrist.
"Wait what?!"
...
Hunter looked around the room, this was his first time in an interrogation room. The federal agents - at least so he thought, had brought him about an hour ago with charges of fraud but no one had said anything to him since.
Just then, a tall, caramel-skinned man with a lean build and short snow-white hair walk into the room, he looked like he was in his later twenties, sporting a sunglass and a dark blue zip-up jacket with a fairly wide high collar and a matching slim fit pants and dress boots.
He sat on the other side of the table, across from Hunter before taking off the sunglasses revealing his vibrant blue eyes, "Hunter Heffernan, is that correct?"
"Yes," Hunter replied, "look man, we didn't know exorcism was a crime we wouldn't have done it."
"We? There's another one?"
"Jacob, he's my manager, handles the business aspect of the job," He replied
"Wow, you have a whole thing going for you."
Hunter tilts his head sideways, "I mean, it pays," he shrugged.
"Well Heffernan, I'm sure you'd be glad to know you're not under arrest."
"I'm not?"
"No," he shakes his head as he slides a dark green colored card across the table towards Hunter.
Hunter looks at the card and then at the man in front of him, "is this a ticket thing, this feels like a ticket thing."
"This is more of an invitation to join a secret organization thing," he stated.
Hunter picks up the card, "Oh."
"You're what, 18? I know kids your age dream of saving the world and I'm allowing you the opportunity to do so."
"Sorry," Hunter said, "I'm not interested."
"What? This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you get to meet others like you, learn more about your powers, and reach new levels of your skills."
"Oh, I see what's going on here."
"You do?"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're trying to entice me with everything my current life is missing."
"Is it working?"
"Yes, I'm in."
"Good," the snow-white-haired man said as he rise from his sit and walks over to Hunter taking his hands in his, "I'm glad you agreed to join us," he stated.
"What was it you said you do again?" The man asked.
"Exorcism?"
"Right," he nods, "that is only a fraction of what we do," as the words leave his tongue, a spark appears and a portal opens in front of them.
"Woah ..." Was all Hunter could say, the man walked into the portal and Hunter follows after him, appearing in front of a large building with a classical Greece architectural design.
"Wow ..." Hunter said, still gobsmacked, "Who are you?" He finally asked
"Zyair," the man replied before turning to face him, "Welcome to the Metropolitan School of Mysticism."
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